Reassurance for you Fresno fans

Actually, the title of this blog entry is misleading because it seems to be a black and white divide regarding Coach Steve Cleveland and his ability to right the highly smudged if not black-eyed men's basketball program at FSU.

Cleveland seems to have his stout defenders and his vociferous detractors, with neither side willing to give so much as an inch.

Our take is that Cleveland is the right person AND coach for the job -- someone who won't lie, cheat or steal -- or dial up recruiting targets as if he had stock in Verizon. He will restore the Bulldog program to a degree of stature -- maybe not like Tark did -- those last three words having dual meaning and certainly nothing like Ray (Can You Hear Me Now) Lopes.

Too many fans want an immediate turnaround but something like that is impossible what with the dirty baggage the Fresno State reputation is still carrying. Cleveland didn't create the loss of basketball scholarships plus any legal 'concerns' any of his players develop, fairly or unfairly, get judged in the context of the sordid Bulldog history. Translation: Rekalin Sims plays this year if not for the previous garbage that has gone in with previous coaching administrations.

Anyway, here some support for Cleveland:

Steve Cameron: Relax, future's fine for Fresno State Hoops
Merced Sun Star
December 22, 2007

FRESNO -- Care to ponder Fresno State's basketball prospects for the long term?

Or how about a medium view -- say, looking ahead a couple of months?

Either option would be a bit more cheery than analyzing the present. Like tonight's bout with Pacific at the Save Mart Center, for instance.

Steve Cleveland's bunch find themselves in a rare situation, underdogs at home against an opponent in roughly the same weight class.

"Pacific has beaten Nevada, one of the top teams in our league, and won at Santa Clara," Cleveland said when asked to assess the 8-3 Tigers. "They've got talent and they'll play some good stuff.

"We'll definitely have to take a step forward to win this game."

Frankly, this isn't quite where the Dogs expected to find themselves -- not after winning 22 games a year ago and earning an NIT berth during Cleveland's second year at the wheel.

The former BYU coach inherited a ridiculous mess at Fresno State -- institutional chaos, NCAA sanctions, loss of scholarships -- and yet he managed to get the Dogs onto an amazing upward curve.

Quickly.

And playing by the rules...

Go here for the complete article.